economy

Are Dystopian Movies More Popular When the Economy Blows? Nope

With the launch of disaster/apocalypse movie 2012 last weekend, a new question has popped up on the Net: Are dystopian movies more popular when the world is already gloomy from an economic depression? You'd think perhaps yes, wouldn't ...READ»

When Is the Right Time to Start a Business? Now.

If you look at the history of successful companies, they start up in good times and bad.READ»

Tech & Innovation Spending Show Corporations Are Recovering

Despite cutting back on spending, big corporations actually expanded their R&D budgets by 5.7% in 2008, reports The New York Times. It's only half as much as the increase in 2007, but it hints that research spending is one of the ...READ»

Microsoft Quarterly Revenues, Profits Take a Hit

If Apple's recent financial report had a musical theme, you might choose Tchaikovski's 1812. But Microsoft's just-revealed quarterly stats might incline toward something somber from Handel ... they're not looking cheery. The lead ...READ»

How to Drive a Stake into the Hearts of Shareholders

A recovery without jobs? Halfway through the current recession, it's clear things would have been different if companies had invested in stakeholders and not shareholders. We fired the very people who can turn this around.READ»

Economics Nobel Prize Award a Nod to Sustainability

Two U.S. academics have just been awarded the Nobel Prize for Economics, with the Prize Committee noting the winner's work in economic governance. One winner is Elinor Ostrom--the first woman to land the prestigious prize. The ...READ»

Is Inflation Dead?

Inflation is dead, according to the latest CPI figures. But you may want to protect yourself from it, just in case. Many people now are asking why gold, the traditional hedge against inflation, now costs more than it ever has in the ...READ»

Infographic of the Day: How Much Does Your Company's CEO Make? Per Hour?

GOOD magazine's contest, with a directive to design the best infographic illustrating CEO salaries, results in a design that highlights the personal and financial sides of the current economy.READ»

Online Ads Turn a Corner: More Spent on Internet Ads Than TV in U.K.

A new report by the Internet Advertising Bureau and Pricewaterhouse Coopers has revealed something amazing: The U.K. has become the first major economy to see advertisers spending more on internet adverts than traditional TV ones.The ...READ»

Infographic of the Day: Bailout Matrices

One year after the financial crash, CNN examines the bailout statistics with two handy visualizations.READ»

Doing More With Less: Using the Down Economy as a Design Brief

Working with constraints is something that many companies need now more than ever.READ»

• Dan Harden's Whipping Post blog

Get Bullish With Google's New Investing Weapon

Google has created a service that tracks Americans' search queries as compared to market growth--and it works. The project, called Google Domestic Trends, is an outgrowth of the company's lead economist's research into whether Google ...READ»

Need an Economic Barometer? Check These Four Indicators

Some days, the economy's dips and rises rival Coney Island's Cyclone. Here are four unusual indicators of recession and revival.READ»

Position Yourself as a Leader

To be a top-performing sales professional, you must be a great leader...READ»

Why Customer Service Destroys Salespeople

Customer service alone is not going to help a company achieve its growth targets. It is essential for salespeople to be focused on selling as their first priority... READ»

an Economic Superpower nolonger

In last week's update, I outlined the no-win situation the U.S. economy finds itself in today. I was pleased that so many people sent me comments and questions. Considering how much work I put into these missives, it's great to know people are reading them. And while I can't reply to every message individually, I can attempt to address the most common issues and questions people had. READ»

East versus West Coast

Are we really so different in East versus West coast towns of America? Why is it so? Read more to find out.READ»

Securitization: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

Jose D. Roncalwww.financialspeculation.comBefore you read any farther, let's start with a little background on the term securitization and how it's evolved to the present times.  If you click the link toInsightful Articles and ...READ»

It's Turnaround Time

Jose D. Roncalwww.financialspeculation.comYou've probably read all the flack over this week's cover on Newsweek magazine—"The Recession is Over," with an added footnote reading, "good luck surviving the recovery."  The message ...READ»

The Future of the Credit Card Industry

Jose D. Roncalwww.financialspeculation.comLast fall we wroteConsumer Debt in the U.S., an extensive report on the state of credit debt in the U.S. We've also written about the credit crunch in our bookThe Big Gamble. There is valuable ...READ»

Are You Investing or Speculating?

Jose D. Roncalwww.financialspeculation.comThat's the question we wish we could have posed to scores of individuals before they unwittingly put their trust in Ponzi schemer, Bernie Madoff.  On June 29, when the judge handed down a ...READ»

Risk Management in Today's Economy

Jose D. Roncalwww.financialspeculation.comIt's a generally accepted fact that to be successful, you have to be willing to take risks. When you consider the practices of contemporary entrepreneurs like Sir Richard Branson, Frederick A. ...READ»

Bubbles and Regulation

Jose D. Roncalwww.financialspeculation.comOur current economic crisis is so deep and complex it's not likely to right itself anytime soon. How do we work ourselves out of this hole?  Do we need more regulation or less? This is a ...READ»

Banks: The Need to Get Personal

Jose D. Roncalwww.financialspeculation.comWhile the G-20 world leaders meet and discuss ways to reverse the deep global recession, others like Nouriel Roubini, the New York University professor, focuses on what's happening back ...READ»

New Era for Hedge Funds

Jose D. Roncalwww.financialspeculation.comAfter years of side-stepping oversight and regulation, the hedge fund industry is about to change. Even though it's not clear what role hedge funds played in the current economic crisis, the ...READ»